I read in The Capital that the 2018 overdose death toll in Anne Arundel County, contrary to the claims of legislators, will exceed that of 2017. In fact, as of October, we have already reached last year’s total number of deaths.

Sadly, I am not surprised. And I do not think we will see an end to this shockingly upward trend until we tackle the bureaucratic obstacles to needed reform.

But our attitude gets in our way, robbing us of both informed decision-making and compassion. Instead of expanding access to treatment that is proven effective — proven to save lives — recent legislation focuses on the supply side of the equation, allocating massive resources to scanning postal packages, for example, and imposing cruel restrictions on needed prescription medications for chronic pain sufferers.

Given the fact that research confirms demand reduction is more effective and, without it, the supply side efforts will fail, it’s hard to understand the resistance to focus on a reformed health care system — particularly in light of the fact that 200 people die nationwide each day, with thousands seeking help to no avail.

Simply put, stigma is impeding progress on reducing the death toll. First, the belief that an opioid use disorder is a moral failure overshadows our understanding that it is a medical condition, and like other medical conditions, it requires medical attention.

But instead we most often separate needed treatment from the rest of health care, denying access to life-saving resources including medication. To make matters worse, we fan the flames of stigma through a criminal justice system that refuses medical interventions, promotes punishment and humiliation over support and treatment, and releases vulnerable people without medical oversight, exacerbating their vulnerability and risking almost immediate death.

I’m not the first to point out the striking similarities between the AIDS crisis in the 1980s and the opioid crisis today. Notably, stigma stifled early initiatives, and activists rallied in desperation to draw needed attention to their cause, eventually spurring on the research and the discovery of life saving remedies that were then made available to the afflicted.

As heartbreaking as that era was, and as shameful in allowing too many to die before taking action, today’s crisis is even more dramatic. I say this not so much because the number of preventable deaths is significantly higher, even though it is, but because today we already have the life-saving medications — methadone and buprenorphine — that are science-backed and FDA approved for the treatment of addiction.

But what have we done? It seems to me we have gone out of our way to implement restrictions that serve only to deny these medications to the vast majority of those who are suffering, and then we spin wheels on minimal changes when other modern countries have lifted all restrictions and reduced the death toll by up to seventy-some percent…and they did this years ago!

It is no wonder the United States has the highest overdose fatalities in the world, without a close second.J

Just imagine having a life-threatening condition, seeking the medical treatment you know can save you, and being denied access by restrictions imposed by lawmakers. Lawmakers who too often turn around and blame doctors!

The death of a child is a parent’s worst nightmare, and a preventable death of a vulnerable child, who sought and was denied treatment, is harder still.

I know I am far from alone in this devastating loss. Furthermore, I know that looking backward serves no purpose. I am in this for those who are suffering still.

I grew up with the notion that we are our brother’s keeper and that the courage to stand up is a strength, a strength inspired by compassion, by caring enough to seek and synthesize factual information and to rail against anything that perpetuates stigma.